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Bonnie Hunt
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | other_names = | spouse = (divorced) | occupation = Actress, comedienne, writer, director, presenter, producer, talk show host | years_active = 1984–present }} Bonnie Lynne Hunt (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer, and daytime television host. Early life Hunt, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, is the daughter of Alice E. (née Jatczak), a homemaker, and Robert Edward Hunt, an electrician. Her mother is of Polish descent and her father was of Irish and Belgian ancestry. She was raised in a large Catholic family, and has three older brothers, Patrick, Kevin, and Tom, two older sisters, Cathy and Carol, and one younger sister, Mary. Hunt was educated in Catholic schools and attended St. Ferdinand Grammar School and Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago. In 1982, Hunt worked as an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In 1984, she co-founded An Impulsive Thing, an improvisational comedy troupe, with Holly Wortell, Andy Miller and John Gripentrog. Hunt also performed as a member of Chicago's world-famous The Second City, joining in 1986. Career In 1990, Hunt played a role on the NBC show ''Grand'', a comedy that lasted a season and a half. Hunt refused to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live because the show's producers generally frowned on her preferred improvisational style. In 1992, she turned down a higher-paying role on Designing Women to co-star in Davis Rules with Jonathan Winters, Randy Quaid, and Audrey Meadows. In 1993, Hunt teamed with good friend David Letterman to produce The Building, a short-lived sitcom that was modeled after early-1950s television shows. The show was also filmed live; mistakes, accidents, and forgotten lines were often left in the aired episode. Hunt and Letterman re-teamed in 1995 with The Bonnie Hunt Show (later retitled Bonnie), which featured many of the same cast members as The Building and the same loose style. The show was praised by critics but was canceled after 11 of the 13 episodes produced were aired. In 2002, Hunt returned to television with Life with Bonnie, a show known for clean and offbeat humor. Her role on that show earned her a 2004 Emmy nomination, her first. Despite fair ratings, the show was canceled in its second season. Hunt announced on Live with Regis and Kelly that ABC had offered her another sitcom, in which she would have played a divorced detective. This pilot, Let Go (also known as Crimes and Dating), was not picked up for the fall 2006 schedule. Hunt co-wrote, directed, and co-starred in the 2000 film Return to Me, a romantic comedy starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It was filmed in her Chicago neighborhood and included bit parts for a number of her relatives. The film, which received a positive reception from critics, was largely influenced by Hunt's blue-collar Catholic upbringing in Chicago. Hunt starred as Alice Newton opposite Charles Grodin in the popular children's films Beethoven and Beethoven's 2nd. She played opposite Robin Williams in Jumanji as well as opposite Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel. She played the sister of Renée Zellweger in the movie Jerry Maguire and Jan Edgecomb opposite Tom Hanks in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Green Mile. Also, she played the biological mother, Grace Bellamy, of Mark Austin (played by Kip Pardue) in Loggerheads, a 2005 independent film written and directed by Tim Kirkman. She has provided her voice for a total of five Pixar films: A Bug's Life as Rosie the black widow spider; Monsters, Inc. as training supervisor Mrs. Flint; Cars as the heroine Sally Carrera; and Toy Story 3 as Dolly. In addition, Hunt received a writing credit on the film Cars, and reprised her Sally role in the sequel Cars 2. The Bonnie Hunt Show In 2007 Bonnie Hunt taped a pilot episode for Telepictures. The pilot was approved and the talk show was created. The Bonnie Hunt Show premiered on Monday, September 8, 2008. The show's set design was a tribute to Dean Martin and on the walls are pictures of historic television personalities as well as Hunt's family members. The show was inspired by the format of Live with Regis and Kelly with the host and guests often interacting with the audience. Many of show's staffers were longtime friends of Hunt's from Chicago. The show typically started with an opening monologue followed by guest interviews and games played with the audience. Hunt's mother Alice often appeared in webcasts from her home in Chicago. A characteristic of the show was Hunt's over-the-top faux indignation at non-PG language after which she would enjoy the double-entendre drenched material she had pretended to poo-poo. The Bonnie Hunt Show taped in Culver City, California and was viewed in 17 of the top 20 US television markets in the United States. In its first year, the show was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards: for opening theme, hairstyle, and makeup. It won the Gracie Award for "Outstanding Talk Show" in 2009. In 2010, Hunt was nominated for "Outstanding Talk Show Host" at the Daytime Emmy Awards. The final episode aired Wednesday, May 26, 2010. Personal life Hunt married investment banker John Murphy in 1988. However, during her June 6, 2006, appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, she mentioned that she was single again. She has no children. Hunt's hometown is Chicago and she is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, having not missed an Opening Day at Wrigley Field since 1977. She is also a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, of which she is an honorary board member. Filmography References }} External links * Category:1961 births Category:Actresses